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Intelligence and Security Studies (Distance Learning) MA

Key Information

Course code

L900PINSSTD

Start date

September

Subject area

Politics and International Relations

Mode of study

2 years part-time (distance learning)

Fees

2024/25

UK £7,775 (part-time)

International £13,255 (part-time)

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Entry requirements

2:1

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Overview

Transform Your Career with Brunel’s Distance Learning MA in Intelligence and Security Studies

Dive into the only MA in Intelligence that's designed not just to teach you about intelligence, but to prepare you for an impactful career in the field. At Brunel, our Distance Learning MA in Intelligence and Security Studies (MAISS-DL) stands apart by offering a practical course grounded in both social science and historical methods.

Why Choose MAISS?

  • Interdisciplinary Learning: Our programme uniquely blends social science, policy, and history to provide a rounded perspective on intelligence.
  • Practical, Hands-On Training: During our once-per-year “residential week”, you will engage in immersive simulations, receive certification in industry tools, and participate in the Brunel Analytic Simulated Exercise (BASE) which provides real-world briefing experience before a panel of experts. 
  • Flexible online learning: Engage with our curriculum asynchronously, allowing you to balance your studies with professional and personal commitments. Enjoy the value of this world-class programme from the comfort of your home. 
  • Exclusive, Cohesive Curriculum: Experience a "garden-wall" designed programme where every module is crafted to build on each other. Offering a unique, cohesive learning journey, with specialist electives, focused on in-depth study.

What Sets Us Apart?

Our course is not just a history or politics degree. It's a policy-oriented programme that arms you with the practical skills sought after by employers. Your learning and assessment are designed to provide you the tools and experiences you need to excel in the intelligence community.

You will also be trained in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) collection methods, for which you will receive a separate certificate. This is currently provided by Prevail Partners.

Connect and Network

Benefit from our extensive speaker series, bringing experts from government and the private sector right to your classroom. MAISS also boasts a vibrant community of peers and an expansive alumni network to build lasting professional connections.

Our alumni are employed in the public sector, and private firms such as Securitas, Merck, Formula One, Pinkertons, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin. Our graduates have also founded and joined smaller start-up intelligence companies such as Grey Dynamics and b4 Secure.

Explore and Discover

Curious to learn more? Contact our team at intel-applications@brunel.ac.uk

Course content

Intelligence and Securities Studies MA is structured around a core of compulsory modules and one optional choice, plus a dissertation in a subject of your choice.

Compulsory

  • Intelligence Concepts, Issues and Institutions
    This module introduces the critical concepts that underpin the modern understanding of intelligence within democratic governments. It examines how intelligence communities are organised, how they function, and how they sometimes go wrong. Moving beyond the Anglosphere, it covers the organisation and function of intelligence organisations from around the world.
  • Intelligence History Failure and Success
    This module will introduce students to the study of Intelligence and Security issues in policy-oriented context through the medium of history. It will provide a critical historical background on the practice of intelligence from ancient times onwards, with particular attention to the impact of intelligence and security agencies on major international and national events since 1939.

Compulsory

  • Contemporary Threats and Analytical Methodology
    This module will introduce students to the role of intelligence in assessing and countering the principal threats to national security in the 21st century, as well as introducing students to forecasting and estimative methodologies. This module culminates with our famous “BASE” real-time analytic exercise.
  • Intelligence and Security Studies Dissertation

    You will write a fifteen-thousand-word research dissertation on a topic of your choosing (relevant to the study of intelligence). Topics have included intelligence history, open-source techniques, counterintelligence problems, counter-poaching, oversight and accountability, legislation, and beyond. 

Optional

  • Intelligence Analysis Foundations Methods and Applications
    Students will be introduced to intelligence analysis stages (single source, all sources), frameworks (quantitative, structured, traditional), subjects (military, police, economic, political), threats (terrorism, war, business espionage, psychological operations, etc), actions (strategic, operational, tactical), outputs (current, descriptive, speculative), and techniques (Bayesian, game theory, probability judgement, systems analysis, general morphological analysis, link analysis, analysis of competing hypotheses, Delphi, role play, etc).
  • Counterintelligence and Security
    This module will introduce and evaluate counterintelligence as a process and a product and its relationship to national security decision making while exposing students to the relevant scholarship on the subject. Students will discuss a series of questions related to counterintelligence and cyber security and their use (or non-use) by national security decision makers.

This course can be studied 2 years part-time distance learning, starting in September.

Careers and your future

Eighty percent of our graduates secure highly-skilled jobs in the private and public sector within 18 months of graduation. Most of our students pursue careers in the private intelligence and security sector or careers in analytical functions for banking, resources and risk industries.  Those already in government employment find the course supports their promotion, commissions or provides new employment opportunities post-retirement. Many of our graduates find employment in successful firms founded by our alumni through our networking opportunities. We also work with industry organisations to provide a range of internship opportunities that students can apply for throughout the course.  

UK entry requirements

  • A 2:1 (or above) UK Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification with an understanding of the realities of academic intelligence and security study and the frameworks within which intelligence and security operations work.

Applicants with other qualifications, or with relevant work-related experience, will be considered on an individual basis.

Applicants will be interviewed.

EU and International entry requirements

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£7,775 part-time

International

£13,255 part-time

Scholarships and bursaries

Teaching and learning

You'll be taught by world leading experts in your field of study, and have the opportunity to interact with fellow students on London’s leading campus University.

Your programme will consist of a variety of learning and studying activities, including lectures, seminars and discussions. On each taught module students will have in person lectures, seminars or workshops for two-to-three hours per week on average during the teaching terms. There will also be supervision sessions for the dissertation, as well as regular opportunities to seek guidance during module lecturers’ feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental level. Field trips and excursions to support students’ learning will be organised throughout the year.

All lectures, seminars, cohort meetings and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. It is expected that students will regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience. Online provision of some activities will be made available when it is appropriate to the learning outcomes of your programme.

Learning is “asynchronous” for our distance learning course route. Study is self-directed, based on taught video lectures and readings. Distance learners frequently set up independent study groups to create a peer support community. All distance learners are required to attend a “residential week” at the Brunel campus, usually held around Easter, after each year of study. Residential week involves live seminars and assessments such as presentations, simulations, and wargames. Throughout the academic year, assessments are varied and place a strong emphasis on practical skills such as briefing, writing analysis, and team collaboration. In the Case Studies module, you'll prepare a detailed case study as a multimedia presentation, based on declassified intelligence records.

In your second year, you'll participate in the Brunel Analytical Simulation Exercise, which centres around group work on joint all-source intelligence assessment modelled on the actual joint assessment processes used by the US and UK governments.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Our dynamic teaching team is comprised of multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual scholars, whose expertise covers matters from cutting-edge analytical techniques to scholarship on intelligence, the state, and society across a range of regions. Our team is a blend of forward-thinking scholars and practitioners, who frequently consult with government and the private sector.

Your teaching team are also members of the Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS). BCISS is comprised of experts produces important original research that is published worldwide and contributes to the success of government and business in the UK. Our staff has also been called upon to provide training or input for decision makers around the world.

Assessment and feedback

Modules assessments are tailored to hone not only to academic skills, but also skills needed for gainful employment in the industry. Assessments include: research essays, oral presentations, written and verbal briefings, and a wargame modelled on a historic crisis scenario.

The capstone assessment of the programme is BASE, Brunel’s annual exercise modelled on the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). After studying structured analytic techniques, you will be broken into small teams and presented with a question about an emerging real-world problem. Past questions have covered Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan, Election Interference, illicit trade, etc. As a team, you will research and analyse the problem for several weeks and present your findings to a guest panel of current and former intelligence professionals, playing the role of the Joint Intelligence Committee. You are assessed on your contribution to the process, the quality of your briefing paper, and your after-action report.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.